Nathaniel H. Dryden Biography This biography appears on pages 768-769 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm NATHANIEL H. DRYDEN. Nathaniel H. Dryden is one of the extensive landowners of Fall River county, owning some eighteen hundred acres of land, which he devotes to stock-raising and the growing of alfalfa. He also owns the Oelrichs Telephone Company and is a prominent citizen of his county. Born in Dane county, Wisconsin, in the vicinity of Madison, on the 8th of December, 1860, he is a son of Nathaniel Henderson and Martha Jane (Belch) Dryden, the former born in Tennessee on the 12th of February, 1820, and the latter in Alabama in 1822. The father, who was a farmer and stock raiser removed to Wisconsin in 1846 and located in Dane county. He passed away on the 20th of March. 1900, after surviving his wife for many years, her demise occurring on the 10th of June, 1881. He was intensely interested in the welfare of the public schools and for twenty-five years was school director, although he was not active in political affairs. Nathaniel H. Dryden, Jr., is the youngest of six children and attended the Dryden district school in Dane county, Wisconsin, where he secured a serviceable education. For two years after his marriage he farmed the homestead, but on the 4th of March, 1884, he became a resident of Bon Homme county, South Dakota, where he resided for two years. At the end of that time he removed to Oelrichs, arriving there on the 3d of June, 1886. He drove a number of cattle to his new home and settled upon government land, where he engaged in the stock business. He lived upon his place for four years before the land was platted and then proved up upon the farm as a preemption claim. At intervals he has purchased more land and now operates eighteen hundred acres as a stock and alfalfa ranch and derives therefrom a handsome income. He is energetic, is not afraid to take the initiative and has the ability to manage large interests successfully. In addition to his real estate he owns the Oelrichs Telephone Company, which was established by the Schepps Canyon Company, and which came into his possession in 1910. The company is connected with the Bell Telephone Company and with other lines and gives excellent local and long distance service. On the 30th of April, 1882, occurred the marriage of Mr. Dryden and Miss Sophia Steinhauer, who is a native of Dane county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of Diedrich and Louise Steinhauer. Her parents were natives of Germany and were early settlers in Dane county, Wisconsin, where both passed away. The father was a farmer by occupation and was successful in his chosen work. Mr. and Mrs. Dryden are the parents of nine children: Martha, the wife of James Williams, who resides upon a ranch five miles from Oelrichs; Henderson, who is a ranchman residing upon land belonging to his father nine miles west of Oelrichs; Alpha, who gave her hand in marriage to Theodore Hahverson, an editor of Wentworth, Lake county, South Dakota; Boyd and Ralph. both at home: Esther. who is teaching school and living at home; Marjorie, the wife of Frank Shaw, who is an expert mechanic living at Vermillion, South Dakota; Ruth, who is attending school; and one who died in infancy. Mr. Dryden is a republican and for twenty years has served ably as school director, doing much in that time to further the interests of the public-school system. Fraternally he belongs to the subordinate lodge and encampment or the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has held all of the offices in the lodge, being at present treasurer of that organization. He also holds membership in the Maccabees, He is one of the best known and most influential residents of Fall River county and has in marked degree that public spirit and faith in the future of the state that is characteristic of the successful citizens of South Dakota.